Minato looked at himself in the bathroom mirror as he finally took the time to consider whether he was even useful to the group or not. Sure, he had the power of the Wild Card, but as far as he and the others of SEES seemed to be concerned, Narukami was the better fighter, strategist, and had a personality that oozed confidence. Really, what did he bring to the table except for filling out a spot on the front lines? Could it be that his distrust of Narukami was a case of jealousy?

He just sighed, then shook his head. "No, that's ridiculous," he told himself. "O-Of course I'm useful to the others!" Free of his slight delusion, he then faced the door. "After all, I'm still supposed to guarding Natsuki until the others get back with that Yamagishi girl." He then swung the door open and began marching back up the stairs; as he approached the second floor, the music in his ear immediately ceased and the signature green hue of the Dark Hour illuminated the dorm.

Minato nodded. "Alright, here's my chance to cement my worth," he said to pep himself up. He then doubled his pace, reaching the third floor in record time and dashing down the hallway to reach the room assigned to Natsuki. However, like Yu at the faculty office before, he found himself breaking out in a cold sweat as he reached down for the doorknob. The realization that he'd have to think up an excuse as to why he's disturbing her silence made him hesitate for a moment; after all, he wasn't exactly singing her praises the last time he spoke to her. However, he stood his ground, steeled himself, and promptly opened the door.

"Hey Natsuki, are you…?" Once the door was fully opened, he was shocked to find that she was not in her room. Surely, he wasn't in the bathroom for THAT long. He knew she didn't have business in the floor above or below that one, and he was sure he would've heard her go into the girl's bathroom.

Unless…

Minato gasped. "Oh shit."

…

"H...ey..."

W-What…?

"I… kill..."

W-Who…?

"No… later..."

…

"...kami!?" a voice beaconed.

"Ugh..." Yu rubbed his eyes as he regained conciousness. "W-Where… am I?"

"A-Are you okay, Narukami-san!?" the voice shouted in a concerned voice. Despite being drowsy and unaware of his current situation, he did still recognize that voice well enough to know who was by his side.

"Ahh!" they both shrieked as Yu bolted up from his resting position, sweat rolling down his back. He then looked over to his side to find the one person he wanted to see at that moment.

"F-F-Fuuka!" he exclaimed in relief as he went in to give her a bear hug; although Fuuka at first struggled to breathe as her face flushed a ruby red, she quickly relented and proceeded to wrap her arms around Yu as he cried tears of joy.

"T-There t-there, i-it's alright, N-Narukami-san," she reassured as Yu's emotional breakdown continued. "G-Gosh, I f-feel bad for m-making you worry."

Yu patted Fuuka's back a few more times before he pulled himself away. "N-No, I'm sorry, Yamagishi," he finally admitted. "I-I was so concerned about your safety, that I..." He wiped tears from his face, unable to finish that thought. "A-Anyways, I'm g-glad you're safe."

Fuuka nodded. "I-I'm glad too!" Suddenly, her expression warped as her attention was drown to the empty hallway.

This immediately caught Yu's attention. "H-Hey, is something wrong?"

"I-I thought… I sensed another one of those things," she admitted.

"Things? What are you…?" His eyes widened in realization. "Wait, do you mean the Shadows?"

She gasped. "Y-You know about those creatures?"

Yu rubbed his head. "W-Well, yeah. I-It's kind of a long story." He then pulled himself off the ground, then offered his hand to pull Fuuka up off the ground. "Is that how you were able to survive for so long? You just… sensed the Shadows?"

Fuuka nodded as she accepted Yu's hand. "Y-Yeah. I don't know why exactly."

Yu nodded. "I may have an idea, but for now, we need to find the others who came in with me."

"W-What? There are m-more people here?"

Again, Yu nodded. "It may not seem like it, but you've been missing for ten days now."

"T-T-Ten days!? How can that be?"

Yu sighed. "In short, time is a bit… screwy in this place." He then looked down the hallway. "But for now, let's try to find the others. There's no telling where they may have ended up."

"O-Okay!" The two of them then proceeded down the hall; Yu took charge with his katana in hand, while Fuuka remained a few paces behind him while she made sense of the situation.

"W-Wait!" Fuuka warned, and Yu immediately stopped. "I-It feels like one of those creatures is right around the corner."

Yu nodded. "Let me peek." He then tiptoed to the corner, peeked his eyes around, and indeed spotted a formless shadow roaming the hall. "H-Holy crap, you're right!"

Fuuka's eyes beamed. "I KNEW it! B-But how am I a-always able to tell where they are!?"

Yu bit his lip. "L-Long story short… you may have a special power."

This startled Fuuka. "P-Power!?"

Yu nodded reluctantly. "I know that seems a tad unbelievable, but all I need you to do is tell me whenever we get close to those Shadows." He then faced her with a genuine smile. "Can I count on you?"

Fuuka nodded vigorously, her cheeks a subtle shade of crimson. "Y-Yeah!"

"Alright," he replied as he faced the other direction once more. "give me a second." Before Fuuka could say anything, Yu bolted from his hiding spot and quickly slashed the shapeless shadow in a frenzy before dissolving into a mist of sludge.

Huh, I guess they CAN be defeated before taking on their true form, Yu thought in confirmation.

"I guess that makes sense," Izanagi agreed.

"H-Huh!? Narukami-san, w-who was that!?" Fuuka stammered as she darted around the corner.

"Y-You can hear me?" Izanagi inquired as he appeared in his transparent form.

"Can you see him?" Yu added.

Fuuka nodded as she came to a halt. "W-What on earth is that thing!?"

"I'm called a Persona," Izanagi explained. "I am a part of his psyche."

"Basically, I use him to help fight against the Shadows." Yu then rubbed his chin in contemplation. "But if you can perceive him, then there's no question now: you must also have a Persona."

"R-Really!?"

Yu nodded. "Not only that, but you have quite a helpful ability indeed... one that we could definitely use." He then shook his head. "But that's not important now. If we want to get out of this, then we have to keep going."

Fuuka nodded back. "A-Alright, then I guess I'll back you up however I can!"

Yu smiled. "That would be nice."

"B-Be careful, Narukami," Fuuka cautioned as they reached the down stairs. "I sense something on the floor below us."

Yu sighed. "Jesus, how many Shadows ARE there tonight!?"

Fuuka shook her head. "I-It's not the Shadows. This signal is different from the others."

Yu nodded in confirmation. "That's certainly not ideal, but what choice do we have?" He then took the lead down the stairs, while Fuuka paced a foot or two behind; he was happy to leave the floor they were on, since getting to these stairs required fighting, tricking, or tip toeing around at least a dozen shadows. All things considered, he didn't want to traverse to this upcoming floor either, as this mysterious reading could be anything. It could be those thugs that cornered him the night he met Hamuko. Or a strong Shadow ready to reap them. Or maybe it was a simple as that girl Labrys sneaking around again.

"Y-You alright, Narukami?" Fuuka asked, a tinge of concern in her voice. "You've been awfully quiet since we started walking down the stairs."

Yu nodded hesitantly. "I-It's nothing," he lied. "I just want us to find someone friendly soon."

Fuuka nodded. "Y-Yeah. I know what you mean." At that moment, a faint gunshot echoed through the stairwell. "H-Huh!? W-What was that!?"

Yu brought his katana at the ready, as if he were about to slice the darkness itself. "That's either our reinforcements, or it's something else," Yu determined. "Either way, can't be too careful around here." As insurance, Yu began to slow his pace, damn near tiptoeing, so as to silence his footsteps as much as possible. Fuuka quickly caught onto this, and proceeded to do the same as they went from covering around forty or so steps per minute to around ten. This didn't slow them down too much, however, because in no time at all, they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Yu then faced Fuuka. "Is that signal near?" he whispered. Fuuka closed her eyes, then nodded. He turned back around and took a hiding stance behind the corner, with Fuuka, again, taking a spot behind him; although she was blushing slightly due to her proximity to Yu, she understood that keeping hidden was a priority, so she just put up with it for now. Just then, the two of them heard footsteps through the ambient sounds of the tower; in no time at all, the footsteps grew in volume to the point that they appeared to be down the hall from their corner. Yu tightened his grip on his katana, then as the footsteps continued to grow in volume, he jumped out from the corner in an attack stance.

"GAH!" It was good news once again, as Yu discovered that the footsteps belonged to Junpei and Akihiko, but Junpei didn't seem to realize who he was at first, as he had stumbled backwards in fear, landing flat on his ass.

"MAN am I glad to see you guys," Yu sighed in relief as he went in for a handshake with Akihiko.

Accepting the shake, Akihiko nodded. "Likewise," he agreed. "We were worried we'd never find you."

Junpei shook his head as he pulled himself up. "Nah, I knew we'd find him." He brushed his shoulders. "But I gotta be honest, I was hoping we'd found that Yamagishi girl..."

"N-Narukami!?" Fuuka shouted in concern, startling the two once more. "A-Are they…?"

Yu turned to face the corner. "It's okay," he beaconed, "they won't bite… Well, one of them won't." She then peeked out from the corner, paused for a moment, then ran up to Yu's side.

Junpei's face quickly brightened. "I-Is that…?"

"Fuuka Yamagishi, correct?" Akihiko questioned.

Yu nodded. "She found me in a higher floor," he admitted. "I, uhh, apparently passed out when the school changed."

Akihiko grimaced. "Well, I can definitely say we're never entering Tartarus like THIS ever again."

Yu nodded. "But that's not the weirdest part," he continued. "It turns out she's been able to survive so long because she can sense the Shadows."

"Say what!?" Junpei exclaimed.

"If that's true, then she must have the same power as Mitsuru," Akihiko admitted, startled, before recomposing himself. "Speaking of, have you been able to contact her recently?"

Yu shook his head. "No I haven't," he replied.

Akihiko sighed. "I'll try again then, since we've found you two." He then put his fingers to his earpiece. "Mitsuru, are you there?"

Junpei's face perked up. "O-Oh yeah, are you hurt," he asked Fuuka.

Fuuka nodded. "I-I'm fine," she replied sheepishly.

"I'm fine too, thanks!" Yu replied sarcastically.

"I know you're fine, dammit!" Junpei swore, then brought his attention back to Fuuka. "But man, you must've been scared to death trying to avoid those Shadows."

Fuuka drooped her head. "A little, y-yeah."

Akihiko sighed, then drooped his arm down. "No good," he replied in defeat. "Still just static."

"You know," Yu began, taking charge back, "maybe we should try finding a teleporter to get back down. There has to be one somewhere."

Akihiko nodded. "I agree. It's much safer moving around as it is anyway." His eyes widened, after which he facepalmed. "Ah crap, I almost forgot!" He pulled from his vest pocket a conspicuous spare Evoker, which he then handed to Fuuka. "Yamagishi, hold onto this."

This caused Fuuka to audibly shriek. "T-T-This is…!"

Akihiko chuckled, his bright smile a welcomed sight. "It's not a real gun," he reassured. "Think of it as a lucky charm."

"Uhh, okay?" The one time she didn't stammer, and she's just left confused.

"Did he bring that along just for that?" Izanagi questioned Yu.

"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest." Yu admitted to him, then cleared his throat. "If everyone's done with show and tell, then let's get going." He then turned around and began the trek forward. "There's no telling what else lies in store."

Akihiko chuckled once more. "You heard the leader, Iori. Let's pick up the pace!"

"W-Why are you singling me out!?" Junpei objected.

As they rounded another corner, the group was greeted by a sight not often seen in the perilous tower of Tartarus: windows to the outside world.

"I know it's probably obvious," Junpei began, "but we can't just jump out of one of those, yeah?"

"You wanna try?" Yu replied in deadpan as he looked out the window.

"Ha ha, very funny," he mocked.

"Yeah, that's basically a death wish," Akihiko confirmed as he walked closer to the window.

Yu stopped in his tracks. "Don't tell me you're actually gonna check the distance to the..."

Akihiko shook his head. "Of course not."

"Well what is it, then?" Junpei mocked. "Is the MOON too bright for your eyes?"

Again, Akihiko shook his head. "It is bright, I'll give you that." He paused for a moment. "You know, the Kirijo Group's research says that the Shadows may be affected by the Moon's cycles."

Yu nodded. "That might explain the surplus of Shadows I had to deal with getting down here."

"But then again," Akihiko continued, "you could say the same of humans, too."

Junpei groaned. "Well that would PERFECTLY explain Yuka-tan's mood swings."

Fuuka shook her head. "T-That's not..."

"Wait a second," Yu butted in. "Wasn't it a full moon when we dealt with the monorail?"

Junpei nodded absent mindedly. "Yeah, Yuka-tan did say something about them being..." As he progressed through his sentence, it appeared as though he were coming to an epiphany in real time. "H-Holy shit, you noticed something like that?"

Yu nodded confiently. "Of course I did! There's no way I'd misremember."

Akihiko then turned around, his faced plastered with panic. "If that's the case, then do you remember catching what the moon looked like the night the dorm was attacked?"

Yu's eyes widened. "Y-You aren't suggesting…!?"

"Mitsuru, answer me!" Akihiko howled into his earpiece, the dots clearly connected.

"Aki...o?" Mitsuru's scrambled voice pierced. "Sh...ws..." The feed suddenly cut out.

"Mitsuru? Mitsuru, come in!"

"Be… caref..." Again, the feed cut out.

"Mitsuru!?" He then kicked the wall in frustration. "Dammit!"

"W-Wait, what is this thing?" Fuuka asked to no one.

Yu looked to her. "Y-You felt something?"

Fuuka nodded. "B-But it's much bigger than the others… I can even sense it's attacking something!"

"S-So what the hell's going on!?" Junpei demanded.

"The big ones," Yu responded as he ran for the end of the hall. "They come on full moons!"

"Which means the others are in trouble!" Akihiko added as he, too, ran down the hall.

"H-Hey, wait up!" Junpei shouted as he and Fuuka caught up and stuck close by. Fortunately, as the group made a turn to their left, there was a teleporter waiting for them; as the first one to it, Yu brought the device online as the others caught up, with Junpei barely making it in time as the device shimmered in green light, sending them back to the lobby of the tower.

Disastrous didn't even describe the sight before them. Laying on its side on the front steps was Mitsuru's motorcycle, a pillar of smoke emanating from the engine. In front of them was Hamuko, one knee on the ground as she struggled to hold up her weapon, standing in front of a downed Yukari as if she were serving as a knight. And then there was Mitsuru. Or rather, what was HOLDING Mitsuru.

The creature holding her was a formidable sight to behold: it was black with a red cross painted on its chest with long, slender features all around, armed with a short sword, and topped off with gold shoulder pads and a spiked purple mask with the numeral four engraved into it. As if that weren't bad enough, it had a companion: a black and blue pot-bellied being with a flowing cape and high collar, a staff that could be mistaken for a magic wand, and a long neck that's similarly slender and topped with a pink, crown-shaped mask with the numeral three engraved in a similar manner to the other enemy.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Junpei complained. "There's two of 'em!?"

"What happened here!?" Yu demanded.

"T-They just showed up," Hamuko replied as she panted heavily. "C-Caught us by surprise."

"Do you guys at least know any of their weaknesses?" Akihiko demanded. No response. He then pulled out his Evoker. "Narukami, on my cue!"

Yu looked to him in confusion. "For what!?"

"POLYDEUCES!" Akihiko pulled the trigger, and Yu's suddenly snapped back into focus.

"A-Are you crazy!?" he berated as Akihiko's trusty Persona prepped to bring down a bolt of lightning.

"S-Seriously, Senpai!" Junpei agreed.

Akihiko steeled his gaze. "I'm not." Right on cue, the anticipated bolt came down on the slender target's head, which Yu took as his cue to sprint towards the Shadow. And as he expected, this attack stunned the giant, causing it to release its grip on Mitsuru. In a desperate attempt, Yu, with his running start, jumped into the air, narrowly catching his eldest teammate, and rolled over on the ground to break her fall.

"H-Holy shit!" Junpei remarked.

"T-That was insane!" Hamuko agreed.

"Iori, hit the other one!" Akihiko ordered.

"W-With what!?" He then looked over to the two enemies to find the slender one flat on its back; for once, given the circumstances they were under, he took context clues, smiled, then pulled out his Evoker. "Ohh, I think I got it!" He then quickly summoned Hermes, then sent him out to slash the downed Shadow's partner; again, as expected, the Shadow flew backwards, as Hermes' forward trajectory sent it flying for a moment before falling to the ground.

With the two enemies downed, Yu finally pulled himself up to a sitting position, with Mitsuru laid out on his lap. "A-Are you alright, Kirijo-san?" he asked.

Mitsuru nodded as she pulled herself up too. "I'm alright."

"A-Are these guys supposed to be a threat?" Junpei mocked.

Mitsuru shook her head. "Don't be fooled by them." At that moment, the two Shadows conjured up a series of multicolored orbs which orbited around their bodies; the orbs then became absorbed by the Shadows, whom then quickly got back onto their feet.

Junpei sighed, but then pulled his Evoker back up to his head. "I-It's cool. I'll just hit it again!" He then set his gaze back on the shorter Shadow, and with another trigger pull, Hermes rematerialized and returned to a fighting stance to slice it down once more.

Suddenly, the Shadow let out a low pitched noise, almost as if it were chuckling.

Yu let out a gasp, then reached out in vain to Junpei. "Stop, you idiot!" he shouted. "It's what it wants!" But it was too late, as the attack was already sent out; as Hermes went in to connect, the Shadow whacked Junpei's trusty Persona with it's staff, knocking it into a wall.

"GUH!" Junpei cried out in pain as he collapsed to the ground while gripping his forehead in pain.

"W-What was that!?" Akihiko shouted, demanding answers. "That was clearly its weakness before!"

"I-It was..." Hamuko replied sullenly.

"It appears they can switch their affinities on the fly," Mitsuru confirmed. "And because of that, even if we CAN get in a hit, it can cover its bases before we can safely attempt another strike.

"D-Dammit," Junpei swore. "So you're saying we don't have a chance against them? Is that it!?"

Akihiko drooped his head. "N-No. It can't be!"

At that moment, the front door creaked open, drawing the attention of everyone in the lobby, including the astute Shadows whom were mid swing to attack Akihiko. And strolling from down the hall was a familiar face.

And the first to respond was a wide-eyed Fuuka. "M-Moriyama-san!?"

"Why the hell is SHE here!?" Akihiko added.

"Wasn't Arisato-san watching her!?" Junpei criticized.

"F-Fuuka," Natsuki replied as she continued stumbling forward. Eventually, she came to a halt in front of the two giants and collapsed to her knees.

"W-What's wrong with her!?" Yu demanded. "She's not acting right..."

Moriyama then looked to Fuuka. "F-Fuuka," she repeated.

"Moriyama-san!" Fuuka then bolted forward to get to her side; this caught the attention of the taller Shadow, who proceeded to ready his sword to attack the fleeing high schooler.

"D-Don't you DARE!" Yu bellowed as he pulled out his own Evoker, and as the Shadow started bringing down its sword, Izanagi appeared suddenly, taking the full force of the attack; as Fuuka escaped the Shadow's range, its sword passed through Yu's vanishing Persona as she finally reached the hypnotized Natsuki's side.

She then got onto her knees and placed her hands on Natsuki's shoulders. "Moriyama-san, you need to run!" she exclaimed. "It's not safe for you here!"

Natsuki's blank demeanor then melted away as tears started running down her face. "I..." She hiccuped. "I h-had to… a-apologize."

"W-What?" Fuuka stammered.

"I-I had t-to tell y-you… I'm s-s-so s-sorry!" Natsuki's head then drooped down as she continued to bawl her eyes out. This sight then prompted Fuuka to start tearing up.

"Moriyama-san..." she replied, a smile complementing this bittersweet exchange between the two of them. At that moment, however, the two Shadows began lumbering towards their new, defenseless target.

"N-NO!" Yu choked out as he got back onto his feet. "F-Fuuka, you need to RUN!" Fuuka gasped at Yu's comment before nodding, getting back onto her own feet, then turned around to face the approaching terror.

"F-Fuuka, STOP!" Horrified, Yu prepped his Evoker once more, his hand trembling with fear. "D-Didn't you hear what I said!?" Fuuka then looked down at the Evoker Akihiko had handed her back in the tower, then pointed it at the Shadows.

"F-Fuuka!?" Natsuki replied shakily.

Yu shook his head as tears started falling down his face. "N-No, Fuuka! What are you thinking!?" Although desperate to act, Yu still couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger at that moment; above all else, would acting now only put Fuuka in more danger?'

"Yamagishi, that's not a real weapon!" Akihiko added sternly.

Fuuka closed her eyes, then nodded. "I know," she replied bluntly, as she then pointed the Evoker between her eyes, without so much as a hint of fear. At that moment, the slender Shadow, as if it were eager to finally hit its mark, readied its sword once more.

"NO, STOP!" Yu bellowed as he collapsed to his knees, again unable to bring himself to pull the trigger.

"Persona." In an instant, the whole hall echoed with the sound of a successful shot from the Evoker; the Shadow's attack only made it halfway down before its sword bounced back into its face, knocking the stunned enemy back onto the ground. At the same time, a Persona was materializing right where Natsuki and Fuuka were situated. First a blue orb was all that visible, followed by a flowing pink cape, and finally the blond-haired top of a woman, adorned in a matching pink top and arm-length gloves; it was only after the dust settled could it be seen that the orb was designed in the style of an eyeball, and that the figure's eyes and throat were wrapped in bandages.

"H-Holy shit," Junpei responded in awe. No doubt upset by this revelation, the second Shadow sent out a powerful gust of wind in the Persona's direction, and while this caused Fuuka a noticeable level of discomfort inside the orb, the winds blew around her new Persona.

"H-How in the hell..." Yu questioned.

Akihiko gasped. "I get it! Her Persona isn't a combat-type!" As if it were receptive of Akihiko's comment, the Shadow readied its staff at a sword-like stance; it was definitely angry, and it was ready to take another stab at her.

"PERSONA!" a new voice bellowed as another engaged Evoker echoed through the hall; the Shadow then hastily swung down with its staff, only to impact the lyre of the shimmering Orpheus. At the same time, Minato came barreling in on a conveniently acquired motorcycle, coming to a screeching halt next to Fuuka and her Persona.

All Yu could do in that moment was laugh. "Took ya long enough, man!" he teased.

Minato chuckled. "Sorry to keep you waiting." His expression suddenly went serious. "Now let's take care of these guys."

Yu nodded as he got back onto his feet. "With pleasure!" He then pointed his Evoker back to his head with renewed energy. "I just hope you can keep up!" After pulling the trigger, Pixie appeared to be appearing in view from Yu's head; however, as the figure came back into focus, it was apparent from its spikier hair, shimmering armor, and new purple and black color scheme that this wasn't the same Persona from before.

"HIGH PIXIE! MABUFU!" At that command, the new Persona raised its arms to the heavens, much like its predecessor, and covered the two Shadows from head to toe in ice, temporarily immobilizing them.

Junpei pumped his fist. "Hell yeah!"

"Don't get too excited," Fuuka countered. "They're still alive!" At that cue, the ice surrounding the two foes began cracking before suddenly imploding; and as expected, the two were left relatively unharmed as the multicolored orbs reappeared in view.

"Dammit!" Yu swore. "This shit again!?"

"I-Is there really no hope, then?" Hamuko questioned, a hint of worry in her voice.

"N-No!" Junpei declared as he summoned Hermes once more. "There has to be a way!" Hermes then engulfed the two Shadows in fire, but was in vain as the fatter one blew the fires out with more wind.

Suddenly, Yu's face brightened up with an epiphany. "Wait a minute," he began before facing Fuuka. "Yamagishi, is there any way you can sense their weaknesses!?"

"Their what now?" Minato questioned, unaware of what had been transpiring.

Mitsuru nodded. "Ah, I see," she replied. "Because if her Persona is a support type..."

Fuuka's eyes bolted open. "The tall one is weak to fire! Hit it now!"

Junpei giggled with glee. "HERMES!"

"ORPHEUS!" Minato followed, and once the two Personae materialized, both focused waves of fire on the slender one.

"The other one is weak to physical strikes!"

Akihiko nodded. "POLYDEUCES!" he bellowed, and before it even finished materializing, his Persona barreled towards the shorter Shadow with all its might. And in an instant, the tables turned; the shorter Shadow was knocked back onto the ground from Polydeuces' strike, while the combined firepower from Orpheus and Hermes sent the slender Shadow into flames. Once the smoke cleared, the two were already hard at work switching their affinities.

Once the orbs dissolved, Fuuka wasn't too far behind. "The taller one is weak to electricity, the other to strike damage.

"P-PERSONA!" Hamuko stammered as she brought Take-Minakata to life, sending down a bolt of lightning onto the tall one.

"HIGH PIXIE!" Yu shouted as his tiny Persona recomposed itself and threw a shimmering arrow at the short one, sending it stumbling backwards onto the ground again.

"AGAIN, POLYDEUCES!" Akihiko wasted no time aiming another shot at the taller one; although once the lightning bolt connected, the Shadow froze in place before fizzling away in a black mist.

At that point, only one target remained, but before the shorter Shadow could get itself back up or even change its affinities, Yu approached its face, and with a fire burning in his eyes, he took his trusty katana and pierced the three on the Shadow's mask; this caused it to shriek and struggle before the Shadow ultimately dissolved into a pile of black goo, much like its comrade before it.

Silence fell over the area for a brief moment. Sure, the threats were dispatched, but there was no telling if there were reinforcements coming. However, as second after second passed, all that anyone heard were the groans and moans that were ever present in Tartarus.

Finally, Yu sighed and got down on one knee. "It's over," he bellowed, then turned to the others. "Is everyone alright?"

Akihiko gave a thumbs up. "Never better!"

Hamuko was helping Yukari get back onto her feet. "We're managing."

"I'm impressed you two," Mitsuru chimed to Yu and Minato. "Even in the presence of overwhelming odds, you managed to turn the tide of battle in a heartbeat."

Yu then also gave a thumbs up. "Ah, it was nothing!"

"Of course it wasn't," Minato replied sullenly as he looked down to the ground.

Yu looked to him, concerned. "W-What's with that tone? Are you..."

Minato shook his head. "Don't patronize me," he growled sharply.

"Whoa, man!" Junpei countered. "What's with the attitude!?"

"..."

"I'd kind of like to know, too," Yu added. "I-It's not like you're in trouble for..."

"SHUT UP!" Minato was bellowing with anger now, which had everyone's eyes on him. "Y-You wouldn't understand at ALL!" He then turned his back to the group and ran out the same way he rode in. Yu then forced himself up despite his exhaustion, and began chasing after him.

"Arisato, WAIT!" he called.

Welp, here we are again. And yeah, I did leave you hanging there with the cliffhanger, but trust me: from here on out, things should get a little wilder than normal. When the next chapter will come out, I'm not even gonna say out of fear of jinxing myself again, but the wait should be worth it!

And much like last time, no new Social Link stuff, but I do hope this second half was worth your while.

And a special thanks to users Brightwizard21, Tora Lych, BrawlBroMario, and Eizeneers for reviewing, whether the feedback is positive or negative; it helps me to clean up errors or even take logical errors and spin them into something new for the story! Even I'm not perfect when it comes to writing stories.

And with that said, I bid you all once again adieu!

-rjm324